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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: leaves · tear · mate · perch · straw · rock · mug · band

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mug — a face
  6. rock — music
  7. perch — the fish
  8. tear — from crying
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. band — a music group
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mug — to rob
  14. tear — to rip
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. rock — a stone
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. tear — from crying
  21. band — a ring
  22. mate — a partner
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. straw — a straw man

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com